Dispensing containers are used with regard to a number of cosmetic products. These include solid products such as lipsticks, deodorants and antiperspirants and various viscous lotion and gel products such as body lotions and gels, sunscreens, and deodorant and antiperspirant lotions and gels. Lipsticks are usually in a cylindrical form with a circular cross-section and are in a tubular container with a closure. The lipsticks are either manually elevated in the container for use or utilize a push-up mechanism on the container. Deodorants and antiperspirants usually use a mechanism to elevate the solid, lotion or gel product for use. This mechanism typically is located in the base of the dispenser and consists of a platform elevator that supports the deodorant or antiperspirant, an attached screw, and a disc wheel grip on the other end of the attached screw to rotate the screw and thereby to raise and lower the platform elevator. Deodorants and antiperspirants also use mechanisms that are located in the wall of the container part of the dispenser.
These prior art dispensers are all useful and effective dispensers. However they consist of six or more parts that must be produced and assembled. The problem is to how best reduce the number of parts and the cost of the dispensers. One solution is to use a push-up dispenser. However the problem then is how to maintain the product at a selected level in the dispenser while the product is being applied to a surface. One technique is to have a finger hold the product support at a given level during the application of the product. This is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,397,027; U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,935 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,434. In each of these patents a person pushes the supported product upward for dispensing and then maintains the finger in contact with the product support during dispensing. This maintains the product at the application level and so that it does not recede into the container. In another technique the product support is mechanically maintained at a given level by a friction contact of the product support with the wall of the dispenser. This is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 1,850,934; U.S. Pat. No. 5,286,126; U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,263; U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,935 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,507. These are effective as long as a medium to high application force is not used. When such a force is used the product will recede back into the container portion of the dispenser.
The present invention solves this problem through the use of a dispenser with only three primary parts and with the dispenser having a positive locking mechanism for the product support during product application. This prevents the product support and the product slipping down into the container during use.